Cards defeat St. John's 57-54

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDIAC CARDS SURVIVE ST.JOHN'S GUARDS 57-54

-Slaughter's 22 lead Louisville past Red Storm

-Volleyball banquet Saturday

St. Margaret Mary first-graders deliver the National Anthem.

Louisville WBB used a 8-0 run over a five minute stretch late in the second half to overcome a three point deficit and go up by five in defeating the St. John's Red Storm Sunday afternoon in the KFC YUM! Center before 11543 fans.

Down 52-49 after a Nadirah McKenith layup with 5:46 to go, the Cards held the Red Storm scoreless until Shenneika Smith hit two free throws after Sara Hammond's fifth foul with 42 seconds left to make it 57-54 Louisville. During the run, Sara Hammond connected on four free throws, Nita Slaughter two from the charity stripe and a Bria Smith layup made it 57-52 with 1:45 left on the clock. St. John's missed two three-point attempts in the final nine seconds and the Cards survive by three.

Guards McKenith, Smith and freshman guard Aliyyah  Handford combined for 50 of the 54 St. John's points.

Bonita Spence checks to see if she's holding a basketball or
leftover Halloween pumpkin

Coach Walz started the "S" troops again for Louisville, Bria Smith, Sara Hammond, Shoni Schimmel, Sherrone Vails and Nita Slaughter and the combination battled St. John's closely for the first eight minutes of the first half...the Cards leading 14-12 after two Slaughter free throws at the 12:25 mark. Jude Schimmel, Cortnee Walton and Megan Deines entered the game and the tight battle continued...neither team getting more than a two point edge until back-to-back buckets from Deines and Hammond gave Louisville a 22-17 edge with 6:33 on the clock.

SJU outscored the Cards 7-3 over the next five minutes, though...to draw within one at 25-24 after McKenith hit a layup with 1:26 remaining. A Slaughter free throw with 41 seconds left was the final score of the half and Louisville clung to a perilous 28-26 advantage after twenty minutes.

Slaughter had seven points to lead the Cards in the half, followed by Hammond with six, Deines and Shoni with four each. Bria added three and Vails and Walton contributed two each. Shelby Harper and Jude played but did not score. Redshirt senior Monique Reid, on crutches on the sideline with an injured knee, did not play. 

Handford led the Red Storm with 15 points, mostly on easy drives past the Louisville defense. Only three St. John's players scored in the first twenty, McKenith adding seven and Smith four. The Cards shot 35.7% (10-28) but did make 8-10 free throws and forced seven SJU turnovers. Each team took four trifecta attempts, St. John getting one from McKenith to drop. Louisville was 0 for Shoni and Bria.

The Cards needed to find a way to keep the speedy Handford from scoring inside in the final twenty and they did a excellent job, limiting her to just one point...but Shenneika Smith picked up the slack and totaled 19 of the Red Storm's 28 second half points.

The Cards started the final half by getting buckets from Hammond and Slaughter, but Walz substituted Jude in for Shoni after just two minutes when Smith got back to back layups for SJU to make it 32-30 Cards. Louisville lost the lead when Amber Thompson hit her only jumper of the game a minute later. The teams went back and forth for the next eight minutes, neither able to gain more than a two point advantage...and when Shoni returned with 9:04 to go, it was 45-43 Red Storm.

The back and forth trend continued...Slaughter providing the Louisville offense and Smith doing the same for St. John's With 6:15 left, Slaughter cut the Red Storm lead to 50-49 with a layup...but McKenith returned the favor to set up the Cards frantic finish and win. SJU committed two unforced turnovers in the final 2:48 and hit only one of four shots. Had to groan a bit when Shoni took to the lane and tried a questionable running, off-balance layup that
SJU's Smith swatted away. Why not just hold the ball with a three point lead and 30 seconds left?

Still...it's a win, though, and the Cards go to 17-4 and 5-2 in the BIG EAST.

Slaughter led the Cards with 22 points and five rebounds, going 10 of11 from the free throw line. Hammond ended up with 14 and eight grabs. Bria Smith finished with seven, Deines six, Shoni four and Vails and Walton two each. Jude and Shelby did not score. For Slaughter, it was her second-highest point total since her arrival on campus...getting 23 against Gardner-Webb last year.

Referee Al Titus decides he wants in my picture. I cut his head off.

Shenneika Smith led the Red Storm with 23, Handford had 16, McKenith 11 and Brianna Brown and Thompson added two each.

Louisville shot 37.5% (18-48), St John's 44.9% (22-49). The Cards narrowly outrebounded SJU 32-31 and went 21-25 from the line. The Cards committed a low nine turnovers but scored only one point off them. In a closely contested affair, there were 13 lead changes and 11 ties. Only 19 threes in the 40 minutes, St. John hitting three of their twelve, the Cards 0-7.

THINGS WE LIKED

1) How much sweeter could Nita have been? Consistency has been her name the last six or so games and she shone far above the rest today. With Mo out indefinitely, she's the co-force at the "four" with Hammond and no longer just a three point shooter.

Bonita comes over to see if I want to play catch during a
timeout. I passed on the offer. She'd probably call a "T" on me.

2) Inside denied. The SJU front line scored just two points all night. The Red Storm guards did pick up the slack with their slashing drives and barely outscored the Cards in the paint 26-24. Still, 66 minutes out of 200 possible played by the opponents' front line and 1-6 shooting? We'll take it.

3) Battling back. The 8-0 run late showed a lot of character. No turnovers, clutch free-throw shooting (which we also loved at 21-25) and defense.

THINGS TO WORK ON

1) Threes. 0-7. Can't remember the last time Louisville didn't hit a three in a game. Threes weren't the priority today, especially with SJU's quick guards bottling up the shooters, but an "0-fer" always looks bad, bad, bad.

2) Stopping the easy, inside score. It was almost like a looping reel. See a SJU guard drive, see Louisville fail to stop her, see SJU score. Granted...SJU has three great guards...but interior stoppage must occur.

3) Rebounding. Out-rebounding the worst rebounding team in the BIG EAST by just one on your home court isn't going to get you any trophies. The Cards front line grabbed 19 of the 32..but only six offensive ones.

SUMMARY

We have to admit when we saw Bonita Spence on the court to referee the game, we almost turned and went for the East exit. But, despite a few obvious missed calls and an interesting end-of-first half exchange between her and Walz...the crew didn't stink as badly as feared. Only 30 fouls total in the game and 17 of them on the Red Storm. Hated to see Hammond foul out, especially when two of her five were "phantom" calls...but no other Card had more than two.

Louie's mascot friends help celebrate his birthday!

This game was won by Slaughter and Hammond late (they had 15 of Louisville's 29 second half points) and free throw excellence by the Cards today. A gut-check win over a team that has the best guard trio Louisville will face all season. It saddens us that Monique Reid is yet again hobbled...you could take injured Cards Shawnta Dyer, Tia Gibbs, Asia Taylor, Reid and add any other Card on the roster and have a heck of a starting lineup. A part of the game, though...and the (for now) nine remaining healthy players will need to bond together and carry on.

Coach's post-game comments below. This week, Bob Domine helped J.J. and I carry the question load. Once again, I baffle Jeff on the opening question. It's a tradition.

POST GAME WALZ


<><><><><><><><><><><><>><><>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


The University of Louisville Volleyball banquet will be held Saturday, Feb 2nd. at the PNC Plaza @ Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. and the festivities are scheuled to kick-off at 6:30 p.m.

Unlike the spring sports banquets that preview the upcoming season, the Volleyball banquet is a celebration of the completed season.

Unfortunately, last we heard...seniors Gwen Rucker, Lola Arslanbeckova and Kaitlynn James will not be in attendance. They are out playing professionally and (according to CARDINAL COUPLE Volleyball guru Jeff McAdams) doing quite well.

The rest of the team and coaching staff will be there, though...so it's a great time to mix and mingle with the stars of tomorrow and the Cardinal Volleyball fans.

Tickets are $40 and we know Jeff will be there. CARDINAL COUPLE Co-Owners Paul and Sonja have made contact about media coverage...no reply yet, so we'll see if the response is a quick kill or a prolonged volley.

If you are interested in attending, here's the contact info:

Christy Waltrip
Special Events, Louisville Athletics
chirsty@gocards.com
502.852.0706

Louisville WBB plays Georgetown at 2 p.m. that day in the KFC YUM! Center...so why not make it a women's sports day and attend BOTH events?

Banquets are a great way to meet other UofL fans and also learn a lot about the programs. And, you usually get to sit at the table with one of the players, who are always eager to tell you about the squad and share stories with you. We'll never forget our first Softball banquet when we met this skinny, freshman California high school player who was brimming with confidence and hopes for her career at UofL.

That was Chelsea Bemis and she turned out to be one of the best to ever step to the plate at UofL.

.
..
...



 

Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Whatever happen to?

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Whatever happened to...Kim Barnes Arico?

-He's back...

With no UofL women's sporting events on the horizon until Friday night...when the WBB squad takes on Colorado in Boulder...we thought we'd catch you up with a former Cardinal coaching foe who has changed directions and is having success in her new surroundings.

Kim Barnes Arico, formerly the head women's basketball coach at St. John's, is now at the University of Michigan and has the Wolverines off to a 8-2 start in her first season in Ann Arbor. The UM squad defeated Eastern Michigan 55-43 last night and has wins over Florida, Illinois State, and Xavier this year.

Losses have come to Utah and #4 Duke. Arico, who was 4-6 lifetime against UofL while at St. John's, defeated the Cards twice last season. The second win knocked Louisville out of the BIG EAST Tournament...a 68-61 win in overtime that saw her Red Storm squad hold the Cards to 1-12 shooting in the final five minutes.

Many were surprised when Arico made the switch to join Michigan and the BIG 10 after resuscitating the Red Storm WBB program. In her introductory press conference, she stressed the desire for her and her husband to raise their three children in an environment like Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan campus. We suspect the Arico checking account got a nice, little bump as well.

Leaving a squad that had starters Shenneika Smith, Eugeneia McPherson and Nadirah McKenith returning couldn't have been easy. She was the head coach at St. John's for 10 years and compiled a 176-133 record there.

Arico knows a thing or two about rebuilding. She took over a Red Storm team that was 3-24 and 0-16 the year before she got there. Last year they were 24-10 and 13-3 in the BIG EAST.

The Red Storm finished third last year in the highly competitive BIG EAST and put an end to UConn's 99 game home-winning streak during the regular season. The Red Storm is 4-3 this season under new head coach Joe Tartamella.  

Although we'll miss seeing Barnes Arico prowling the sidelines when the Cards play the Red Storm, sometimes it's "family first" when it comes to difficult decisions and if anyone can help Michigan return to prominence in BIG 10 hoops...it'll be her.

A bigger arena. And, getting out from under the shadow of Geno, Walz, Muffett, and C. Viv (although that reunion with Rutgers will resume since the Scarlet Knights will join the BIG 10). Good career move? You bet. From city lady to country girl...Kim Barnes Arico has made the transistion and, so far, it's a hayride...

( Sonja adds...When you first see her, you think she might be better suited to be sitting in front of a store on Bardstown Road, playing a beat-up accoustic guitar and smiling trippingly at the passer-bys while she sings Joni Mitchell. Flower child. Then, you watch her coach a game, see her in action. Thinking she picked the right career path.)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

...Also in the "Whatever happened to?" category...

He's back...

Will Big Red fit on the back of a Harley?

How about the news that WKU has hired Bobby Petrino as the new head football coach of the Hilltoppers? Just when we figured it was safe to go back to Bowling Green...
 
As the kids are fond of saying these days...it is what it is.

"I love red towels and I'm anxious to own a few more..."

Temporary stop on climbing the ladder back up the coaching profession? Probably. Wise move for WKU? Definitely. The loss of Willie Taggert had to hurt. Nabbing Bobby Offense has to be a marketing staff's dream. Job security for all in the WKU ticket office, plus maybe a new hire or two. The football S.I.D. at WKU is probably sending out resumes, though..."the Bobster" can be a bear when it comes to the boys with laptops.

With no further adieu, here's our Top 10 reasons why Bobby's back in Kentucky.

10. Always had a "thing" for the 'Topper' mascot Big Red...
 9.  Switching from motorcycles to Corvettes, Bowling Green has the National Corvette Museum.
 8. Lost a bar bet to John L. Smith. Loser had to apply for the WKU job.
 7. Wants to continue personal win streak over UK.
 6. Loves the song "Bowling Green" by the Everly Brothers!
 5. The voices in his head told him to.
 4.  Is Facebook friends with DaMarcus Smith and Ace Wales...taking the relationship one step further.
 3. Has always wanted to try the lunch special at Smokey Pig BBQ.
 2. Will only coach at places who have red in their color scheme ( Louisville, Atlanta Falcons, Arkansas...)
 1. Bowling Green has 12 letters. Bobby Petrino has 12 letters. Coincidence? Or fate?
.
..

Lady Cards fall to St. John's 68-61 in overtime

.
MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Big East WBB Semi-finals reports


-Louisville forces overtime, loses to Red Storm by seven.


-Softball goes to 15-0 with 2-0 win over Boston U.


-Pick 'em results after three days


- A good Shoni read.




(In BIG EAST WBB Monday Night Semifinal action)


CONNECTICUT vs ST. JOHN'S


1st half
Grudge match II of the evening, the Huskies looking for a little payback for the loss the Red Storm hung on them earlier in the season. They're getting paid. 
7-0 start for UConn and St. John's missed their first six shots. Why couldn't they have played like this against Louisville last night? No Storm brewing in the XL Center tonight...just the Huskies romping up and down the court. 38-18 at the half and Stefanie Dolson has 13 on 6-8 shooting. Dee Kanter crew tonight and Bob's brother Bryan Enterline calling this one...Dee calls them tight, but accurately. Red Storm just a tropical depression so far. 


2nd half
This one got out of reach for the Red Storm early and my mind started to wander. I wrote down these eight questions and observations...the final scribblings of the evening for a real tired guy...


1) Why is Geno still mad and scowling when he's up 31 points late in the second half? I  think I may know. Boxers, my man. Get rid of the briefs.


2) Poor Kim Barnes Arico and the sideline shots they kept showing of her. With the over the shoulder hair, she looks like a bummed out, sixties folk singer who just broke a guitar string. Feel better soon, KBA! Peace and love is the answer. 

3) Referee Dee Kanter has some serious wheels! Did she play point guard somewhere a few years back? Note to self..."Google Dee Kanter".


4) "Wise broad" and Beth Mowins were chatting up the resurgence of St John's women's basketball popularity in New York. OK.  So explain to me why  they draw an average of 1200 a home game in the Carnesecca Arena, which holds 6000? Must be admiration from afar. Those bashful New Yorkers...


5) It suddenly hit me. Stefanie Dolson looks like she could be the younger sister of 1990's Western Kentucky University standout post Jen Berryman. No wonder I like her so much!


6) They're bringing in Rebecca Lobo for the final tomorrow night to work it with Mowins on ESPN. You know Lobo...no silly numbered or lettered ESPN station gigs for her. And, she'll want to be there to fawn praise on Geno if the Huskies (yeah, they won tonight) win Tuesday night. I'd rather they bring in Quentin Hillsman, the Syracuse WBB head coach. That's entertainment, right there...friends. Can we start getting Angel McCoughtry to do color commentary on UofL ESPN games? That would be "must see" TV! This whole Geno=Rebecca thing got old several years ago. 


7) Why isn't UConn's Chris Dailey a head coach yet? Fear of leaving the nest syndrome? Failure to launch issues? Or...is she Geno's secret...never mind. She must be the calming port in his sea of frustration.  


8) If I ever see a Gillette Fusion Pro-glide Styler commercial with Adrian Brody and those two other guys again, I'm going to kill the laptop. Or stop shaving. Whatever. 


Oh, yeah. UConn won 74-43.


They played real good. How about these numbers? UConn wins tonight 74-43. Notre Dame wins earlier 73-45. It's a foreboding sign. UConn wins the BIG EAST Championship 74-73. And I'm playing a 
7-4-4-3-7-3-4-5 "Pick Eight" and a 7-4-7-3 "Pick Four" at Santa Anita Thursday. It's a sign... 





NOTRE DAME vs WEST VIRGINIA


1st half
The good news is that WVU scored four more points in the first half tonight than they did in the first half last night. The bad news? Notre Dame almost doubled that effort. 37-19 Irish and Digger oops Muffet has been busy with the "el mucho substitution" pattern. Bussey playing OK but Novosel, Diggins, Peters, blah, blah, blah having a typical Irish fest. Looks like it's bye-bye to the Mountaineers. Have fun in the BIG 12 with all your new midwestern buddies. It's Dennis DeMayo's crew tonight...and they're calling it pretty good. 


2nd half
The Irish proved their point. The WVU win over them earlier in the regular season was a fluke. 73-45 Irish tonight. Natalie Novosel applied the Novocaine to Bussey and Dunning tonight with 18 points. Kayla McBride with 15. Highlight reel stuff of the second half...Novosel sprinting to the sidelines and clocking Coach McGraw. Someone get her a helmet and pads...she could shore up the football Irish linebackers. They wait now to see if it's going to be Huskies or the Red Storm in the final. 


*******************************************


LADY CARDS FALL SHORT IN OVERTIME TO ST. JOHN'S

The University of Louisville women's basketball team overcame a seven point deficit to take St. John's to overtime...but the magic ran out in the final five minutes...losing to the Red storm 68-61. Shoni and Nita Slaughter had 16 points each in the valiant effort and Asia Taylor recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 boards. 

STARTERS: Smith, Shoni, Burke, Taylor and Vails

The Cards took an early 3-0 lead on a Becky Burke 3 a minute and half into the game and were competitive with the Red Storm. Baskets by Asia Taylor, a Shoni 3 and another Taylor jumper had Louisville up 10-7 with 14:52 to go. Another Shoni 3 made it Louisville 13-10 and the Cards continued to lead...hoops by Taylor and Shoni had the Cards on top 17-14 at the halfway mark of the first twenty. Louisville was dominating the boards...but St John's defense was causing the Lady Cards to miss simple shots inside and the free throw shooting was horrid for UofL.

St. John's grabbed a 18-17 lead with a goal by Nadirah McKenith, part of a 6-0 Red Storm run, but Louisville wrestled the lead back when Nita Slaughter drilled a 3 with 4:09 remaining. Shenneika Smith and Shoni traded threes to make it 24-23 Louisville with 3:32 left. The teams didn't score again until Keylantra Langley knocked in a jumper with 10 second left to give St. John's a 25-24 halftime lead. 


Louisville made only 1 of 7 free throws in the first half. Shoni had 11 points, Taylor seven, Burke three and Slaughter three for the Cardinal scoring. Walz played all but Harper. The officiating was awful from Bonita Spence, Bob Enterline and Barbara Jo Smith and Louisville was missing a lot of in-close attempts but only down by one. 

The Cards came out flat to start the second half and watched the Red Storm go on a 9-1 run in the first five minutes to take a 34-25 lead. 

A fan's request to have her banned from Lady
Cards hoops forever. 

This was almost as bad as three referees being unable to remember which team got the opening possession to start the half. Hopefully, "Moe, Larry and Spence" will donate their paychecks for tonight's "work" to charity...because the effort was pitiful and poor. Paul was screaming " Wrong team, wrong team!" at the start of the second half. Such blatant screw-ups are inexcusable and just one example of the comedy show that Barbara Jo, Bob and Bonita put on last night


Shoni finally hit a layup off a steal to give Louisville their first basket in over nine minutes...combining the end of the first and the start of the second halves...but the Cards were still down 38-31 when Slaughter got Louisville's second basket of the half with 12:52 to go. 


Louisville got a steal but on the ensuing possession Becky Burke fired a corner pass...to the Cardinal Bird sitting by the UofL bench. Either someone blew the called play, Becky panicked or "Louie" is on the roster now. Nadirah McKenith converted on the next possession to make it 40-31 St. John's. Would the Lady Cards crumble and fold to the #2 seed?


Not just yet.


Louisville rallied with a 9-2 run over the next four minutes. Shawnta Dyer hit one of two free throws, Slaughter banged a 3 ball in, Bria Smith connected on a layup and a Burke 3 made it 42-40 St. John's at the 8:43 mark.


On the verge of being blown out, the Lady Cards had battled back.


St. John's responded with a 5-0 run and went up 47-40. Louisville slowly chipped away at it and a three by Burke, a Slaughter free throw, a Slaugher basket plus a free throw and Bria Smith layup got Louisville back within two at 50-48 with 5:25 left. Louisville was 3-12 from the free throw line, preventing them from an even bigger lead.


The Red Storm pushed it back up to a four point lead...but Louisville got a Dyer inside basket, a Dyer free throw on the next possession and Slaughter's three gave Louisville the lead again at 54-52 and 3:39 left in regulation. St. John's Smith tied it and Eugenia McPherson put them ahead 56-54 with 1:30 on the clock. Slaughter responded for UofL with a basket in the paint to tie it at 56 all with 65 seconds left. 

"Could I get three REAL refs?"

Oh, yes you did walk!!

The Cards had the ball after a missed St. John's shot with 20 seconds remaining when Schimmel was trapped and clearly fouled...the ball rolling out of bounds. The officials called it a turnover. Walz protested vehemently but St. John regained the possession and missed twice from close in as time expired and this one was headed to overtime. It was the worse "no call" of the game and a foul that even a 4th grade Catholic league official could have spotted and reacted properly to. 

Louisville couldn't buy a bucket in the extra session.


Smith hit two free throws and then a jumper and it was 60-56 Red Storm with 3:27 showing. A Langley free throw pushed it to a five point advantage. Taylor countered for Louisville with two free throws and 2:46 on the clock...but McKenith scored, Louisville missed a shot and McPherson made one of two free throws with 44 seconds left to give St. John's a 64-58 lead.

The Red Storm went 4-4 from the line over the next twenty seconds to build the lead 68-58...a Shoni 3 cut it to 68-61 with twenty seconds left to complete the game's scoring. The Cards hit just one of 11 attempted shots in the extra five minutes. 


Louisville was led by Shoni and Nita's 16 points. Taylor finished with 11 points and 13 grabs. Burke ended up with nine points, Bria five and Dyer four. All ten Cardinals played. Shenneika Smith led all scorers with 24...McKenith 15 and McPherson 10 for St. John's


One that got away. Tired legs for Louisville? Maybe...but it was another cold shooting streak for the Cards at the end that proved to be the final nail in the coffin.


Credit Shenneika Smith's great defense job on Shoni in the second half as well. She held the sophomore to five points in the final twenty five minutes...a steal and layup early in the second half an a meaningless three late in the overtime. 


Still, a great effort to get it to overtime and if the 7-17 free throw shooting from a team that normally hits over 70% could have been better...this one never gets to overtime. Definitely the most exciting game of the tournament so far, though. 


Now, the Cards practice and wait for selection Monday. Projections are anywhere from a 6 to 8 seed.

Let's hope it's a spot where Cardinal fans can make the drive. Nashville, Bowling Green, West Lafayette are all fairly easy to drive.


OTHER RESULTS FROM SUNDAY


West Virginia 39 - Georgetown 32 (lowest combined score in BIG EAST Tournament History).
Notre Dame 69 - DePaul 54 (Irish pull away late in this one).
Connecticut 49 - Rutgers 34 (defense struggle that saw Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis step up big).


Semifinals tonight...WVU gets the Irish and St. John's vs. UConn. Revenge factor in both of these...WVU gave the Irish their only conference loss and St. John's knocked off the Huskies in regular season conference play. 


*******************************************

Keller's clout provided all the
offense the Cards needed Sunday

Katie Keller's first inning home run took care of the scoring in this one Sunday in Knoxville. Her blast over the left field wall scored her an Kristin Austin...who had reached on a single.


Chelsea Leonard and Tori Collins combined for the shutout...Leonard getting the start and going to 4-0 with 4 1/3 innings of four hit pitching. She struck out six Terrier batters. Collins finished it up to get her first save of the year after Leonard gave up two singles with one out in the top of the fifth. Collins struck out the next two B.U. batters to get the Cards out of the inning. 


With the win, Louisville is now 15-0 on the season


Louisville returns to action March 10th....when they host the Red and Black Classic at Ulmer Stadium. The three day affair brings in Michigan, St. Louis, and Illinois State. 


*******************************************


After three days and 12 games to choose the winner in, the Pick 'Em contest has just two perfect, 12-0 selections remaining. Hats off to Willie and Andy who haven't had to scratch through a selection yet. 


Willie we have no idea about. I did e-mail him and ask for a little background but no reply as of yet. Andy is from the "greater Cincinnati" area and sent me this response to my e-mail:


'Hey, can't believe my luck so far in your contest! I'm just an average guy, not a big women's basketball fan but I have seen NKU ( Northern Kentucky University) and the women's team there play a couple of times. I like the (Cincinnati) Reds, Bengals and Bearcats sports but seldom get to the games because I'm working all the time with two jobs. 


I found CARDINAL COUPLE through a "Google" search when I was looking for stories about Jeff Walz. He's from the Ft. Thomas area, close to where I live. Like the site and I try to check it out 2-3 times a week."


( Good luck Andy!) 


At 11-1 are the following contestants:


Sandy W. (one of OUR writers)
PDX Phil (one of our favorite readers/commenter's)
Smitty ( a plumber Paul met on a football road trip)


Those contestants we have at 10-2 are:


Matt B.
Mark S.
Jessica L.
Bea
BLT no mayo
Arturo


Staff writer results so far are:


11-1
Sandy (UofL loss her only blemish)


9-3
Sonja (looks like she won't repeat as champ)
Paul (Rutgers, Cincy and Georgetown did him wrong)
Jenny (Cincy, USF and Louisville let her down)


8-4
David (Road the Georgetown horse too heavily)


The Cardinal Chimps are 3-9. Co-Co tried to present a late bracket she "found" last night that didn't get entered by noon Friday and was 12-0...but it was written on the back of our church's Sunday bulletin from yesterday. 


Fail.


That darn chimp! 


*******************************************


Great read on Shoni from Hoopfeed. Great site for WBB. Click it and enjoy. Condolences go out to Angel McCoughtry...who lost two aunts on the same evening a few day ago. CARDINAL COUPLE and Cardinal Nation prayers with you #35. 


Shoni




.
..
...  

Second half spurt sends St. John's past Lady Cards

.
CARDINAL COUPLE GAME REPORT:

-Louisville gets "Mac attacked" in 72-64 loss

Eugenia McPherson had 16 points and Nadirah McKenith added 15 to lead the St. John's Red Storm past Louisville in the Carnesecca Arena Sunday afternoon by eight points. The Red Storm utilized a 16-6 second half run over seven minutes to turn a 43-43 tie into a 59-49 advantage with 4:39 left. The Cards would get no closer than six the rest of the way.

STARTERS

Shoni, Bria Smith, Asia Taylor, Sherrone Vails, Becky Burke.

The Lady Cards came out strong to open today's game, zipping out to a 5-0 lead in the first 2:30...all on Bria Smith scores. It was the largest lead Louisville would have all day. St. John's would respond with a 8-0 run of their own, though taking a 8-5 advantage after McPherson cashed in on two free throws with 15:37 left in the first half. The Lady Cards would battle back...a Shoni putback, Shawnta Dyer inside score and Bria Smith steal and layup gave the Lady Cards a 13-10 advantage at 13:10.

Bria had 11 in the
first half for UofL

And...that's the way the first half continued to go. St. John's tied it at 13-13, Becky Burke drilled a three to put Louisville back up. The Cards trailed 20-16 at the 6:51 mark, but back-to-back threes from Burke and Jude Schimmel put them back up by two with five minutes to go. A Smith steal and lay-in made it 24-20 Cards. Once again, here came the Red Storm, though...outscoring Louisville 8-3 over the final four minutes to take a 28-27 lead to the locker room. 

Louisville had 11 first half points from Bria...Burke had 6 on two 3-pointers and Jude contributed five off the bench to lead the Cards. Shenneika Smith's defense on Shoni had her limited to just two first half points and 1-7 shooting.

Louisville and St. John's both shot 11-28 from the floor for 39.3% shooting, both squads had seven turnovers and St. John's led the rebounding battle 20-16. Louisville's guards had 24 of the team's 27 points and Walz played everyone but Shelby Harper in the first twenty minutes.

The Lady Cards were missing layups and inside shots, standing around on offense and if it wasn't for Louisville's 8-2 advantage on points off turnovers, the margin could have been greater. Still, UofL was in it, on the road and battling. 

Becky Burke got Louisville back into the lead with a 3-ball ten seconds into the second half but SJU tied it up seconds later. The teams went back and forth for the first five minutes of action, the Johnnies going up 41-37 when Mary Nwachokwu scored inside at 14:10. Bria and Cierra Warren hit back to back jumpers to tie it, though and Shawnta Dyer took a pass from Shoni and scored to knot it at 43-43 with 12:12 on the clock.

That's when the wheels fell off the wagon for the Lady Cards.

A McPherson basket and free throw put St. John's up to stay. Da'Shena Stevens connected on two charity tosses to make it 48-43. Bria sank two foul line tosses to cut it to three...but the teams traded hoops and a Stevens jumper with 7:47 remaining started St. John's on a 7-0 run that pushed them to a 57-49 advantage when Shenneika Smith hit her second three of the season to give SJU a 57-49 margin with 5:08 on the clock.

Bria Smith picked up her 5th foul at 4:39 to go and Nwachokwu hit both free throws to make it 59-49. Warren countered with two straight scores inside for the Lady Cards and a Shoni drive got UofL within six at 61-55...but the Cards couldn't stop the Red Storm defensively and three straight SJU scoring possessions had Louisville on the short end of a 67-55 score with less than a minute to go. The Lady Cards started pressing, got scores from Jude and two from Burke to cut it to 68-61 with 30 seconds left..but the Red Storm hit their free throws the rest of the way and led 72-61 before a meaningless buzzer beating three by Burke made the final 72-64.

Burke led the Lady Cards with 19 points and was 5 for 8 from beyond the arc. Bria Smith ended with 17 to complete the Lady Cards in double figures. Shoni  and Warren had eight each, Jude finished with seven, Shawnta Dyer contributed four and Nita Slaughter ended up with one. Taylor, Vails, Harper and Hammond all played but did not score.

Besides the "Macs" in double figures for SJU, Smith had 11 for them and Stevens had 9 points and 10 grabs. St. John shot 44% for the game, Louisville
finished at 40%. The Cards were 6-18 from trifecta land, went 8-12 from the stripe (compared to SJU's 17-27) and had 15 turnovers.

The Cards weren't aggressive enough on defense over the final 12 minutes and Shoni never got into a rhythm due to the stellar defense Smith played on her. Rebounding today was a particular woe...Louisville losing the boards battle 43-33 to the athletic Red Storm.

A somber Jeff Walz touched on a few areas in post game comments, expressing his disappointment in the Lady Cards second half performance, particularly in team defense and defensive rebounding. He wasn't pleased with the Cards passing and assist numbers either and planned on reviewing the game film and doing some teaching when the Cards practice Monday. 

And...it's a Lady Cards team that had the opportunity to get a key, early season conference road win against an experienced and improving foe...but couldn't stop the slashing, penetrating Red Storm when it came to crunch time.

Louisville (13-3) returns to play Wednesday night against USF....who knocked off a good Providence team yesterday. The Lady Cards need to turn it around quickly...a nice overall performance by returning freshman Bria Smith today in front of probably less than 1000 fans....but a road loss that could have been prevented with a little more solid defense, board effort and inside play. Out of Louisville's 64 points...51 came from the guards.

******************************************************************

Congratulations to CARDINAL COUPLE Special Correspondent David Watson who wins the $25 Panera Card with his pick of 71-70 St. John's in the contest. He was one of only five to pick the Red Storm. Gee, we got a smart staff!

(We wish he'd been way off today, though...)

We'll do it again for the Wednesday contest against USF. Just e-mail your score and team you think will win to us at cardinalcouple@insightbb.com
Entries in before tipoff Wednesday night, please. We got a close one at 1:45 p.m. today that came in second but was too late and not elgibile.

Get the winner right and get closest to the final score and nab a $25 Panera Gift Card. We'll run the contest as long as the supply of cards holds out...
.
..
...

Previewing the St. John's Lady Red Storm

.
SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-We look at Lady Cards next opponent...St. John

-Our questionable analysis of the game...

-Irish vs. Huskies today in BIG EAST WBB

-Who's the "bowlmeister?"

The University of Louisville women's basketball team faces St. John's Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in New York. Louisville's Bria Smith gets a homecoming of sorts, returning to the New York area where she played her high school basketball at Christ the King High School. The Cards will need to bring more than Bria, though, if they hope to defeat a dangerous Lady Red Storm team that is 8-1 when they play in the cozy confines of Carnesecca Arena in Queens.

St. John is 9-6 on the season, 1-1 in BIG EAST play and comes into the game off a win over Providence 57-41. They've lost to St. Bonaventure, Hofstra, Iowa, DePaul, Baylor and Harvard. Key wins include Memphis and Providence.

The Red Storm has recently been going with a starting lineup of Nadirah McKenith, Shenneika Smith, and Eugenia McPherson at guards and Amber Thompson with Da'Shena Stevens in the paint. 

-McKenith, a 5'7" junior, is the point and according to head coach Kim Barnes Arico, one of the best in the BIG EAST. Hobbled early in the season with a sprained right knee, McKenith appears to be back at full strength and averages 11.9 a game for the Red Storm. She had 10 points against Louisville last year in the Cards 84-73 win in the KFC YUM! Center. 

-McPherson is the leading scorer for St. John's, averaging 14.3 p.p.g. The 5'8" junior is also the main 3-point threat for Barnes, with 19-46 results for the season. She tallied 15 points against the Cards last year and has led the Johnnies in scoring nine times this year, including 23 points against #1 Baylor.

-Smith is second in scoring for the Lady Red Storm with 12.5 a game and also the leading rebounder with 7.6 grabs a game. The 6'1" junior torched the Lady Cards for 23 points last year and will pose match up problems again this year for Jeff Walz's squad.

-Thompson is the newcomer to the St John's mix, a 6'2 freshman that is second in rebounding for the season with 7.4 per game. She also averages 8.6 p.p.g. and will give the Lady Cards fits in the paint if left unattended.

-Stevens may be the best known Red Storm player, the 6'1" senior has made life miserable for UofL all four years of her career. She's only averaging 6.8 points this year, but had 11 points in 20 minutes against Louisville last year before foul trouble sent her to the bench. She sat out the first ten games of the season, rehabbing a off-season injury, but is back now and a definite inside threat for St. John's.

The Red Storm also bring 5'9" sophomore guard Keylantra Langley and 6'2" red shirt sophomore forward/center Mary Nwachukwu off the bench for minutes. Former Louisville Manual star Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin is on the St. John's roster but sees only about five minutes a game in a reserve role.

St. John's averages 62.2 points a game an allows 55.7. They grab 38.5 rebounds a contest and allow 35.7. The Johnnies turn the ball over an average of 21.9 a game and force 25.3 miscues. They pilfer 14.2 steals against the competition and are stripped 11.1 times a game.

Kim can coach

St. John is coached by Kim Barnes Arico. She's in her tenth year as the Lady Red Storm skipper an has compiled a 161-130 record at the program. She's led the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and the Red Storm were ranked in the AP Top 25 most of the season last year, climbing as high as 17th.

Jeff Walz is 4-1 against St. John's lifetime, the loss coming during the Cards 2009-10 season when an undermanned Lady Cards squad travelled to Queens and got romped 91-56, part of a five game losing streak that the team suffered during that difficult season. Louisville leads the lifetime series 6-2.

SONJA SEES IT...

"I'm not usually a glass half empty type of person but this one Sunday really scares me. Whereas Louisville started the season at full strength and has been decimated by injuries, St. John's started the year with injuries and is now back to full strength. They've got multiple scoring options, they're strong inside and have one of the best back courts the Cards will face this year. They play well at home and, hopefully, the influx of Bria Smith fans will help offset the home court advantage. Although the Red Storm don't bring in big numbers for home contests, this one should be pretty well attended on Sunday and with Louisville's propensity for getting off to slow starts, I worry that the Cards may dig themselves a big enough hole early against this veteran and experienced team that they can't get out of. If Louisville wins, it won't be by much. Both of Louisville's losses have come on the road this year."

PAUL COUNTERS...

"For all the talent that exists on the Lady Red Storm squad, they still don't have a Shoni. They'll try to stop her, which should create opportunities for Bria, Becky and the "bigs" to benefit. Jeff Walz excels at finding a key player to shut down in games...they stifled Plouffe earlier this week. The problem is, St. John's has any of four players who can take it to you effectively. I look for defense to go out the window in this one and expect to see a high scoring, up and down the court affair. Louisville gets the advantage in this type of contest, their depth and transition quickness should be the deciding factor in a Cardinal win. It won't come easy, and as Sonja said, the Lady Cards simply can't sleep through the first few minutes of either half against St. John."
.
************************************************************************

A good Saturday match up on the tube today when UConn and Notre Dame go to war in WBB in South Bend. #2 vs. #3. Diggins vs. Hartley. Geno vs. Muffett. Irish vs. Huskies. Should be a fun one to watch. We'll go with home court advantage here and take UND. That ought to fire up all of our Connecticut readers....

*****************************************************************

Paul is leading in a Bowl Game contest he's in at a local establishment. After last year's horrific prediction performance, this borders on a minor miracle...but the "big guy" is 27-5 so far with just three left. His losses have been Utah State, Louisville, Air Force, UCLA and Va Tech. He can finish no worse than second, and his final three picks are Pitt., N. Illinois and LSU. A nice first place monetary award is in the offing. Thanks to Bobby Petrino last night for giving him a two game lead on the pack and go Panthers, N. Ill. and LSU!
.
..
...